Apparatus for separating liquids from solids



May 25 1926. 1586,1395

' H. c. BEHR APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING LIQUIDS FROM SOLIDS Filed July 24, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 614x01 waq May 25 @1926.

H. C. BEHR APPARATUS FOR S EPARATING LIQUIDS FROM SOLIDS Filed July 24, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 vwe'n fox Patented May 25 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,586,395 PATENT OFFICE.

HANS C. BEER, OF SCARSDALE, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING LIQUIDS FROM SOLIDS.

Application filed July 24,

, solid materials in general, and the invention relates especially to the mannerand means of "feeding the mixture to the separating apparatus. A special object of the invention is to provide means for feeding the material under treatment in a practically steady and uniform manner into a suitable continuously operating centrifugal separator so that said separator may be neither overloaded nor worked below its capacity. It is also an object of this invention to make said feed adjustable to a faster or slower rate so that materials easily separated may be run through at. the highest capacity rate of the separator, while materials more diflicult to separate may be run through at'a slower rate. V

A further object of the invention is to prevent excessive end thrusts on the bearings due to pressures in the material if said material should fill completely certain ofthe passages in the course of its travel through themachine. Still another object in view is to cause the feed of thecmaterial to stop automatically when the separator stops so as to avoid anoverfiow of the material.

Generally stated, the material is fed to the machine at a uniform rate by a suitable type of pump, which is so constructed that it propels the material in a positive manner without an objectionable crushing of the'solid particles contained therein, and that, at the same time it also preventsv any great excess of flow beyond the fixed rate in case thematerial flows to the pump and the centrifugaI mechanism under pressure.

This invention constitutes an im rovement over my prior Patent No. 1,336, 22, dated pril 13, 1920, and entitled Process of and apparatus for solids.

centrifugal v machines.

separating liquids from with the foramlnous mantle 19,.and an an- 1922.- Serial No. 577,129.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which like numerals designate like parts in all the views:

Figure 1 is asectional view of one form of apparatus made in accordance with this invention; a

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view partially broken away, taken on the line 22 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the feeding apparatus and the means employed to Operate it from the centrifugal machine;

Figure '3 is a "sectional View taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line et4l of Figure -1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is an elevational view of the conveying member of the machine shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view of slightly modified and preferable form 0 a portion of the mechanism shown in Figure 1.

1 indicates any suitable support or frame, and 2 a shaft journalled in the top portion 3 of said frame, and in the foot step 1 thereof with which the base 5 of the machine is provided. The said shaft 2 is con veniently rotated by the belt 6 passing over the pulley 7. The said shaft has also fixed to it the hub 8 of the disk 9 rigidly connected to the annular disk 1-0 through the impeller blades 11, see- Figures 1 and 3. The outer edge of the disk 10 forms a rigid structure with the conical shell 12, and the foraminous mantle 13 which latter for simplicity of illustration and description is here shown as cylindrical in form, but which in most cases would preferably be made conical as in most forms of.proposed continuous The mantle 13 is provided near'its lower end with the flange or ring like member 14 and below this, with the non-foraminous downward extension 15, as will be clear from the drawings.

16 represents a sleeve surrounding the shaft 2 and resting on the gear 17 fixed to said shaft so that the said gear acts as a collar for the said sleeve 16. Rigid with the 'upper end of the "sleeve and immediately below the hub 8 is a cone shaped disk 18, the

outer edge of which forms agrigid structure nular disk extending inward from the lower edge of said mantle 19 to the central opening 21 with which said disk 20 is provided. Fixed to the outside of said mantle 19 are the helically disposed ribs 22 simulating the action of a screw conveyor as best shown in Figure 5. 23 represents a. plurality of impeller blades disposed on the inside mantle a journal pin fixed with its shank 27 in'the boss 28 on the base 5 of the machine. Free to revolve on the journal 26 are mounted two rigidly connected gears 29 and 30, the gear-29 meshing with gear 17 and the gear 30 meshingwithgear 25, all as will be clear I from the drawings.

Entering the circular opening 34 in the disk 10 is the expanding outlet 35 of the circular end 36 of the feed duct 37; said feed duct is supported by the bracket 38 forming a continuation of the frame memher 1. The said feed duct 37 conveys the material to the point 39 from the feeder 53 and delivers through the space 34 to the ends of the impeller blades 11. 41 indicates a'receiver provided with a space 42 adapted to receive liquidwhich passes through the perforations 43 of the mantle 13. The said receiver 41 is provided with the flange 44 forming a trough having the inner ledge or ring like member 45 and has one or more outlets 46 for the liquid, as'shown.

53 indicates the feeding mechanism which takes up and measures .out a supply of the .material from the supply pipe 54 and forces it into the feed duct 37.

, shown is of a well known rotary pump type,

The feeder here having cams or impellers 55 and 56, and each of said cams is provided with' cogs 57 meshing with each other after the manner of the'teeth of gears but with the difference that a clearance s ace larger than the largest particles of t e solid material in the supply 'mixture is maintained between the said cogs 57 of the two cams and a smaller space between the said cogs 57 and the easing 80. These said cams 55 and 56 are operated by the gears 63 and 64 rigid with the shafts 61 and 62, and in order to prevent contact between the cogs of cam 55 and of those of cam 56 and to maintain practically a clear space at the front and back faces -of each cog these said gears 63 and 64 are fixed on their respective shafts in such a mannerthat the teeth of said gears inter- .mesh with only such a slight clearance as is necessary for their easy operation. This said clearance 1s slight in comparison with inner the space between the co sof cams 55 and. 56 and hence it results that this last mentioned space between said cogs when once properly adjusted so as to be clearat the front and back of the said cogs will there-- after vary only slightly. Further, since this said space between the cogs is larger than the largest particle in the mixture, passing, the said particles will not be subjected to crushing actions or appreciable abraded actions.

* The shaft 61 of cam 55 is longer than the shaft 62 of cam 56, as best shown in Figure 2, and it extends through the bearing frame 65 and has fixed on its projecting end the from the worm 72 fixed to and rotating with gear 30, all as will be 1 and 2.

The operation of this centrifugal separator is as follows: Power being applied to the pulley7 by the belt 6, the shaft 2 is revolved which in turn rotates the sleeve 16 through the gears 17, 29, 30 and 25. The gear 17 being somewhat smaller than is the gear 25, the rotation of the sleeve 16 will be at a somewhat slower rate than that of the shaft 2. While the said sleeve 16 and shaft 2 are thus rotating the material which may consist for example in a mixture of liquid and a granular aggregate is supplied through the pipe 54 to the feeder canals 55 and 56, and is fed by said cams to t e clear from Figures tral part of the rapidly rotating disk 9 After reaching the disk 9 a sufficient rotary motion is imparted to said material through the frictional contact with said disk to drive it outward by centrifugal action.- When the material in its outward movement reaches the inner ends of the impeller blades 11 these said blades greatly intensify and make more positive thesaid centrifugal action, thereby forcing the material against the surface of a conical shell 12. This said shell by its inclination assists the downward deflection of the said material into pipe 37 at a uniform rate determinedby their speed of rotation and passes on to the space 40 between the exterior mantle '13 and the interior mantle 19. v

Owing to the speed reducing action of the gear train 17, 29, 30 and 25, the said mantle 19 and its spirals 22 are revolved at a somewhat slower rate than is the exterior mantle 13, for the latters motion is derived through the shell 12, the disk 10, blades 11, and disk 9, which is rigid with the more tures 43 in the mantle 13.

- then rapidly revolving shaft 2. The material will, through centrifugal force, be pressed against the inner surface of the mantle 13 and the latter being revolved more rapidly than is the mantle. 19, will through the frictionof its inner surface carry the said material circumferentially along with it. In the meantime, the more slowly revolving spirals 22 will, by the difference of rotation thus existing, force the said material along the inner surface of mantle 13 in a downward direction and oi the lower end of said mantle 13. The high centrifugal force to which the said material is subjected serves to cause the liquid content in said material to leave thesolid aggregate present and to escape outwardly throu h the apere escaping liquid 42 is caught in thereceiver 41 and may be conveyed away by one or more spouts 46, as shown.

The granular aggregate of the material thus deprived of its liquid, escapes at the lower end 15 of mantle 13 and is caught in the receiver 47 from which it may be drawn off by a suitable number of spouts 50. The ring like members 14' and 45 to prevent the liquid splashing about in the lower part of receiver 41, and from entering the solids in the receiver 47. If the material being treated were permitted to flow to or were fed to the space 40 at a rate equal to or greater than that for which the pitch and speed of rotation of the spiral ribs 22 are proportioned, then the space 81 between the disks 9 and 10 and between the conical shell 12 and the spiral ribs 22 would be completelv filled by said material, which would e under great pressure. If, on the other hand, the said space 81 were not completely filled by the said material, then only a velocity would be imparted to it and no pressure would be generated in it. Any pressure in the space 81 would act upwardly against the conical shell 12 and downwardly against the spiral ribs 22; These said ribs being rigid with the ,mantle 19 and disk '18, this said pressure would be transmitted to the. sleeve 16, thus forcing the end of said sleeve 16 against the hub of gear 17, with the result that an unnecessary friction and wear would be produced.

In this invention, on the other hand, the feeding mechanism is so adjusted that the rate of speed is sufficiently restricted to prevent the said space 81 from being entirely filled by'the material while it is being moved by centrifugal action, and thereby I avoid the above mentioned needless pressure and consequent friction and wear.

An additional advantage of a positivev uniform manner of feeding the material to a centrifugal separator of the type described consists in the ability to. vary the feed at will, for since the'rate of movement of the material over the foraminous surface of mantle 13 is fixed by the inclination and rate of rotation of the spiral ribs 22 it follows that any variation in the volume of the material supplied must cause a proportional variation in the thickness of the layer of material passing over the foraminous surface of mantle.13. The greatest thickness of said layer and therefore the greatest rate 'of output of the apparatus may be permitted with those materials which are easily separated from their accompanying liquids while a thinner layer, offering less resistance to separation than a thick. one,

is necessary with materials more difficult to separate and thuse'ntailing naturally a reduced output of the machine.

It will be generally most desirable in my invention to have the feed apparatus driven from the separating apparatus, as illustrated in the drawings, so that should the separator sto by accident, the feed will also automatical y stop, and thus avoid overflowing the machine.

It will now appear from the foregoing that the process and apparatus disclosed" provide for uniformly regulated, restricted and continuous feed of material to a continuous centrifugal separator having a forami-- nous outer mantle acting by rotation as a separating medium and an inner screw conveyor member adapted to move the said material at a fixed speed over the forami--.

may be readily varied by adjustment of the feeding apparatus, as by a change of driving pulleys or gears, for example, and that the feed automatically stops with the stopin of these )aratin machine. 1

a In the preferable and somewhat modified form of apparatus disclosed in Figure 6,

the operation is the same as that above disclosed, but instead of the substantially verti-- cally disposed mantles 13 and 19 of Figure 1,

I have provided the cone shaped mantles 130 and 190. In all cases a pipe 52 may be provided which extends up through the opening 21 and from which may be deliveredablast of air when desired to assist the action of the fan blades, or said pipe may deliver a jet of water to wash the material or'the apparatus or both. It will further be clear that it is a comparatively sim le operation to adjust the speed of the Fed material through the machine by simply regulating'the speed of the machine, as by changing'the ratio of the pulleys 66 and 68. By these means materials easily separated may be run through at the highest capacity rate of the machine, while materials more diflicult to separate will be. run

through at a lower rate and in all cases, the separator can be operated at its maximum capacity for the material being operated upon.

It is obvious that those skilled in the artmay vary the details of construction, the arrangement of parts, as well as the mode of operation, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore I do not Wish to be limited to the above disclosure except as may be required by the claims.

What is claimed is: l

1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of centrifugally acting .mechanis m adapted to continuously separate liquids from solids comprising a rotating forammousconveyor member and a rotating foraminous mantle member outside of and spaced from said conveyor member; means for rotating said conveyor and mantle members at difl'erent speeds; means comprising ",a rotary pump like member for forcibly feeding the material to the space between said conveyor and mantle members at a predetermined rate; and connectionscomprising a worm and gear, and a belt and pulleys for driving said feeding means from said-separating means.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of centrifugally acting means adapted to separate liquids from solids comprising a pair of foraminous mantles separated from each other by an annular space, and one of which is provided with a spiral conveyor; means for rotating said mantles at predetermined different speeds; means comprising a rotary pump adapted to forcibly feed the treated material to said spiral conveyor and into said annular space at a predetermined rate; and a driving connection with one of said mantles comprising a worm and gear, a pair of pulleys, a belt connecting said pulleys, and intermeshing gears associated with said pump for drivingsaid pump, whereby upon changing the relative diameters of said pulleys the speed of the fed material will be changed. I

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HANS o. BEHR. 

